


Confidantes & Coffee

by azhdarchidaen



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, completely irresponsible caffeine-sharing, this fic tried to be angst for two seconds and then veered wildly into fluff territory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 09:13:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7612339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azhdarchidaen/pseuds/azhdarchidaen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two members of the Pines family are having a hard time believing that they are Definitely Not Responsible for the Apocalypse. </p><p>Fortunately, they have each other to talk to about it.</p><p>(cross-posted from tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confidantes & Coffee

_Kick._

_Kick-Kick._

_Kick._

The early morning sun was just starting to creep its way across the sky, and any other morning Mabel would probably have watched the vivid shades of pink and yellow light up the clouds lazily covering Gravity Falls with a grin. But as it was, she sat on the front porch of the Mystery Shack, swinging her legs and listening to every single sort-of satisfying clunk they made against the solid wood. She sighed.

“Up early?” came a voice from behind her, and Mabel, jumped, startled. She whirled around to see Grunkle Ford looking apologetic in the doorway, some sloshed coffee escaping a mug he carried as he raised his hands placatingly. “Ah, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. “Just heard something knocking around outside, thought the gnomes might be at it again.”

“They leave me alone because they know I’ll get the leaf blower,” Mabel said, wishing she had it in her to be prouder of her discovery at the moment. Ford certainly smiled when she mentioned it – Dipper must’ve told him the story or something.

“Just enjoying the sunrise, then?” he asked, setting his cup down to take a seat next to her. “They really are beautiful here, although nothing compared to the skies in Dimensio–”

“–Not exactly,” she said, resting her head on her arms glumly. Hearing stories about her grunkle’s weird space adventures would usually be a more exciting prospect, but it just wasn’t the morning for it. Besides, he’d started gesturing animatedly as he spoke, and seeing the cuff of his sweater slip down to reveal the bandages on his wrists – a remnant of Weirdmageddon – wasn’t helping her guilty mood.

“Are you alright, Mabel?” he asked, sudden concern creeping into his voice. It seemed like he’d only just noticed she wasn’t her usual more bubbly self.

“I’m just… tired,” she lied, looking back down at her feet as they swung a little more.

Ford frowned, looking at his mug. “I’d offer you some coffee, but I’m not sure you’d want it. Stanley insists I put enough sugar in it to kill a horse,” he paused, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “…That, and I’m not so sure it would help.”

“So you’re not buying ‘tired’, huh?” Mabel sighed

He gave a low chuckle. “Used it a few too many times myself.”

“Yeah, but _you_ don’t sleep,” she said, frowning slightly. All it elicited was another rough laugh.

“And that would be why I know you’re not usually up this early,” he said back, taking a sip from his mug. “Nice as it is to have some company in the mornings, I can’t help but wonder if you’ve got some rather different emotions on the subject.”

Mabel squirmed uncomfortably, wondering if she should elaborate. On the one hand it might be nice to talk to Grunkle Ford about all the not-good, messy feelings she was having – they were probably all just going to bubble out at some point, and a quiet morning without… well, without _Dipper_ especially around, since she was still worried about how he’d react to her secret, was probably the best case scenario.

…But on the other hand, Bill had been so, so mean to her great-uncle, so mean that he and Grunkle Stan kept using big, medical-y sounding words to talk about “recovery” when they thought she and her brother weren’t around to get worried – even _days_ after he’d collapsed into a heap on the floor of the Shack the day they ended Weirdmaggedon, only shortly after Grunkle Stan had started getting his memories back, making everybody very confused and panicked all at once.

That had been a lot of bad things at once. And they were – at least _sort_ of – all her _fault_. She didn’t know if she could look Grunkle Ford in the face if she explained that Bill had been able to hurt him so much and so badly because she’d made a Really Big Mistake.

But apparently today was a “Mabel’s mouth sometimes spits out too much of Mabel’s brain” day because she suddenly blurted out exactly what she was thinking.

“I’m sorry!” she said, wrapping her arms tightly around her great-uncle as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “I’m so, _so_ sorry!”

“For what, Mabel?” he said, sounding startled and confused at the same time. She felt a hand rest on her back, and then another one – coffee mug apparently abandoned – ease her gently outwards so he could look her in the face.

“It was all my _fault_ ,” she babbled, wiping one eye with the sleeve of her sweater. “All of it, it was all… it was _all_ my fault!”

Grunkle Ford looked very taken aback, like he didn’t understand what was happening at all, and Mabel realized that she wasn’t being very helpful or explaining anything right. But there was no going back at this point, so she just let the words spill out from there.

“After you and Dipper got back from your nerd adventure-thing, on the day that all the Weirdmageddon stuff started – I was mad and upset and all _stupid_ , and when me and Dipper accidentally switched backpacks, I got the one with… well… I still don’t know what it _was_ , but it looked all weird and future and space-y…”

“…the Rift,” Ford said, slowly, something akin to realization crossing his face. “You got the one with the Rift in it.”

“…and I ran out in the forest to be alone, except I _wasn’t_ alone. There was someone out there who I thought was a friend, and he promised he could fix everything but I shouldn’t have _listened!_ I shouldn’t have listened to him but I did, and it ruined _everything._ Because he asked for the future-y thing and I gave it to him but… that was when I found out he was really Bill, and I _know_ that’s what let him start Weirdmageddon, I _know_ it! And you don’t have to forgive me at _all,_ because I know it was bad, and I’m so, so _sorry._ ”

“He tricked you…” Grunkle Ford said, in the same low tone of voice that Mabel was really really scared was angry. Except she couldn’t even be upset if he was angry, because of _course_ he would be, she’d messed _everything_ up, and especially for him, and she shouldn’t have… she _really_ shouldn’t have said anything about this but…

She got pulled back into the messy hug she’d so spontaneously initiated earlier, and the sheer surprise of it left her speechless.

“Mabel,” her Grunkle was saying, “Mabel, _I’m_ sorry…”

“Y-You’re not mad?” she sniffled, but it got completely muffled by his sweater, her face still pressed into it. She pulled away to repeat the question. “You’re not mad about it?”

Ford gave what sounded like a sad laugh, which was a really weird combination, but what she’d heard all the same. He brushed his own sleeve against her cheek softly, pulling away a strand of hair that had gotten loose from her face once her eyes were drier. “If I _were_ going to be mad at anyone for getting tricked by Bill, you’re far from the person I’d choose,” he said.

“W-who is?” she said, nervously.

He sighed deeply. “Me, Mabel. The only reason he even got the _chance_ to trick you is because years ago, he did the same thing to me.”

“…Really?” she said softly, wiping her eyes with her own sweater this time and brushing away the last traces of tears.

“He pretended to be my friend, too,” Ford said. “Except… I listened for a lot longer than you did, and even when other people told me not to.”

“Mr. McGucket…” Mabel breathed softly, the puzzle pieces clicking together suddenly, and her great-uncle nodded.

“The only reason Bill had a foothold in our world in the first place was because I summoned him,” he admitted nervously. “And the only reason he was able to destabilize space-time the way he did was because I listened to him when he suggested building the portal. So really, Mabel, the question is – will you forgive _me?_ ”

She looked up at him with wide eyes. It came as a surprise when she realized just how guilty his face was – had she looked like that, too? He knew she didn’t blame him, right? Not after Bill was so mean to him, that wasn’t something that happened to people who helped bad guys on purpose, he _had_ to know that she didn’t think he should feel guilty, not if he’d been tricked like that and… Oh…. wait a minute….

“Grunkle Ford, you messed up my apology,” she sniffled, not able to sound as hilariously indignant as she’d have liked to. Still, there was quiet laughter buried in the sound.

He gave a short laugh back. “ _You_ don’t need to make one. And I realize now that I should have made this one to you much sooner.”

Mabel scrunched up her nose, thinking about something hard. “…Is that why Bill hurt you so bad?” she eventually asked, pointing at the bandages around his wrists that poked out. There was another big one, under the neck of his sweater, that she knew about – and probably even more that she didn’t.

Grunkle Ford looked taken aback for a moment, and then very, very tired. “…Yes, Mabel, I’m sure it is. One reason, at least.”

“Then you don’t need to apologize either,” she said. “Well, not unless it makes you feel better, because I think it did for me.”

“You’re very insightful, Mabel. It’s… quite the weight to let go of. I should have known that, after talking my part in this over with your brother.”

Mabel’s face fell. “….Dipper,” she said. “I should… I should probably tell Dipper, too.”

“You don’t have to tell anyone anything until you’re ready. If you need me to keep it for a bit, it’ll be our little secret.”

“No…” she said softly. “No, I _want_ to tell him. Soon. I should’ve already. I just hope….”

“…hope he takes the news well?” Grunkle Ford asked, and Mabel nodded mutely. He rested a hand on her shoulder. “You know, I’ve been observing recently that twin brothers are willing to forgive some rather _massive_ slights. Dipper’s had his own troubles with Bill, I think he’ll give you a kind response.”

“I hope it’s as kind as this one,” Mabel said quietly, and she gave a little smile with the corner of her mouth when Ford’s face softened with surprise.

“I’m only being honest with you, Mabel.”

“And thank you,” she replied, patting his leg. They both sat in silence for a moment.

“We didn’t even miss the sunrise,” Mabel eventually spoke up again, realizing that all of a sudden she felt like she could smile again at the hues of pink and orange and yellow.

“No, we didn’t,” Ford agreed. “And it’s a rather magnificent one, don’t you think?”

“I think they’re all pretty. Especially when the light dances all over the clouds like that.”

“‘ _Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; behind the clouds is the sun still shining…_ ’” her great-uncle murmured, and she gave him a curious look. He smiled back. “Longfellow.”

“I didn’t know you liked poems,” she said, the name buzzing something in the back of her head from English class that made her realize he was quoting one.

“ _You_ didn’t hear Stanley tease me for it in high school…” he said, and she laughed. “Of course…” he started again, but cut off with an indignant splutter. Mabel laughed again when she realized he’d absentmindedly gone to take another sip from his coffee mug.

“Cold?”

“Horrifically. Do you mind if I make myself another cup?”

“…Can I have some too?” she asked.

“I haven’t been in this dimension for 30 years, but I am almost _certain_ there’s something I should be remembering about giving children coffee…”

“Pleeeease? You were gonna offer me some earlier, anyways, you said so.”

He sighed, “I suppose I was.”

“Thank you, thank you!” she said, a softer edge creeping in with her grin as she continued. “For the coffee stuff but… also for everything else.”

He ruffled her hair affectionately as he stood up, offering her his hand once he’d finished. Mabel’s tiny fingers slid easily into the much larger six, and she was pleased they weren’t immediately released as she joined him.

“To the kitchen?” he asked.

“To the kitchen!” she proclaimed, sticking out her other hand in a pointing gesture and starting to drag Grunkle Ford with her.

And that was exactly where they went – together.

**Author's Note:**

> some wonderful fanart for this story was drawn by @soupery on tumblr:
> 
> http://soupery.tumblr.com/post/143898117409/based-on-the-wonderful-fic-confidants-coffee-by


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